[Indication for transcranial Doppler studies in transient ischemic attack].

Unlabelled: The diagnostic procedures for the assessment of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) include both brain imaging (computed tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance) and cerebrovascular investigation by means of ultrasound studies and angiography. Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) has not yet become a widely used diagnostic tool, although it allows noninvasive investigation of the intracranial cerebral circulation. The aim of this study was to assess the value of TCD investigation in patients who suffered from TIA. Eighty-one consecutive patients admitted to our General Medicine Department with a diagnosis of TIA underwent cranial computed tomography, ultrasound investigation of the extracranial cerebral arteries, and TCD.
Results: 39% of the TCD findings were not significant; TCD findings were highly significant in 18% of the patients with TIA, mainly for intracranial arterial stenoses and symptomatic subclavian steal; the other abnormal TCD findings were nonspecific, but in all these cases TCD yielded information on the efficiency of intracranial collateralization and the mechanisms regulating cerebral hemodynamics. These results suggest that TCD is a useful tool for the assessment of TIA.